ph_logs | how long, baby, have I been away? [open]

how long, baby, have I been away? [open]

Who: Nimona, you, and... Ballister Boldheart?!
What: Nimona finally opens the gift Efrain gave her back in March.
When: May
Where: All around!
Warning(s): None yet, will edit if anything crops up

A couple months ago, Nimona got a present.

She felt kinda silly about the whole thing afterward, once she was clear of the fog Efrain cast over the worst karaoke night ever. Sure, she missed Ballister. Of course. But she had other friends to keep her company until she got home, right? They wouldn't be stuck here forever. The barrier'd come down eventually.

Maybe she would've kept on thinking that if the Polaroids hadn't washed ashore.

But one day, she looked around her room at the Oak & Iron, where she'd thumbtacked up all those memories of the best night of her life with the first person who ever really saw her, and it wasn't enough anymore. All the friendship she had here, the weirdos who didn't bat an eye at her, the people -- even humans! -- who saw her passing by and didn't think monster; what was the point? She still woke up most mornings and had to stifle herself from yawning morning, boss. Whenever something cool happened, Ballister was still the first person she wanted to tell.

So Nimona dug out the Black Heart Locket, looped it around her neck, and opened it.

-----

There's a new resident of Pumpkin Hollow. Sort of.

Tall, thin, and angular, he'd cut a more striking figure if he wasn't translucent, a shimmering specter who's never seen without Nimona close by. His prosthetic right arm looks way more modern than anything else anybody's wearing: not the steampunk transformation one would expect, but outright, intact robotics. He's got the kind of expressive dark eyes that can't hide anything.

But oh, you can tell he's trying. He smiles gamely at Nimona's chattering, tries to joke with her, listens to her stories without his attention wandering too much. It's evident to anyone, though -- except, perhaps, Nimona herself -- that he's absolutely miserable.

(Then again, maybe it's evident to Nimona, too. Maybe she's also trying as hard as she can.)

They're all over town; primarily the Oak & Iron, but other spots around downtown Hollow, too. Once or twice she shows him the forest or the beach. Catch them anywhere. Nimona would love to introduce you to her boss.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Nimona and her friend aren't alone out in the forest. Valdis wanders through the trees, nose to the ground, following the scent of one of those pesky little tree monsters who had drug a townsman out of his home and away. She snorts and lifts her head to see the pink haired girl and her strange companion.

He seemed, not entirely there, and also sad, as if he was a remnant instead of an entire soul. Valdis gently pushes her way out of the bushes and speaks as she approaches so Nimona doesn't startle.

I have yet to see your demon horse, Nimona.

"Oh good Gloreth," says her companion in strangled tones, taking a hasty step backward at the sight of a wolf almost as tall as he is.

Nimona laughs, a little awkward. "Boss, chill out, it's just Valdis," she says, and starts to make like she's going to slug Ballister in the arm. Halfway through the gesture, she remembers she can't actually punch him, and draws her fist back just as awkwardly. "She's kinda like me. Valdis, this is my boss! Ballister!"

Ballister lets out a small, nervous laugh -- apparently, he's still not used to being around this many monsters -- and lifts his metal hand. "Er. Hello."

"And I'm sure the demon horse'll turn up eventually," she goes on to Valdis, casual. "I saw it over by the graveyard like a week ago. You been that way?"

"Who is this?" Elsie springs out from the shadows at the base of a tree and puts herself directly in their path. There's a puzzled, concerned look on her face. She's staring hard at Ballister and not in an entirely friendly way.

Valdis blinks with amusement when Nimona's companion startles at her approach. For some reason she is pleased by it, and also the girl saying that they are alike. It's comforting to know that someone like her can still find joy in the world, perhaps it meant she could too.

Hello, Ballister. she says without questioning the strange feeling she's getting from him. It's a pleasure to meet you.

He gaze returns to Nimona.

I have been there several times, it's comforting in a way, plus the townsfolk tend to react much like your friend here when they see me walk through the fog at night. I find it highly amusing.

Ballister doesn't do anything so un-knight-like as yelp, but he can't stifle a twitch backward, one hand instinctively falling toward his hip like he's about to grab a sword. Nimona's gut twists hard as she looks between them.

"Hey, hey, it's cool," she says, holding up both hands to placate. "Boss, this is my friend Elsie. She lives out here. Elsie, this is Ballister!"

Despite Ballister being so twitchy -- seriously, what is up with that? -- Nimona can't help but grin as she introduces him.

"Er, likewise. I think," mutters Ballister under his breath, eyes still a little too wide. Out of the side of his mouth, "Nimona, what do you mean she's like you?"

"She can shift! She's not a wolf all the time."

"And... she enjoys scaring people," he goes on as he returns to eyeing Valdis. "For fun."

Nimona grins. (It looks more like a wince, for a second. Is she imagining the disappointment in Ballister's voice?) "Yeah! Why not? Who's gonna hang out on a haunted island and not get in on all the spooky stuff too?"

Well, Ballister, for one, judging by the look on his face.

Elsie smiles at being called friend but it's not as bright as usual. She's still warily regarding Ballister.

"Where did Ballister come from?"

Better scaring people than killing them, no?

Valdis doesn't believe this will make him feel better, but it's not supposed to.

I'm not as versatile as Nimona, nor is my sense of humor quite as...refined. But I do appreciate her presence here, so it truly is nice to meet a friend of hers.

"From home!" she laughs.

"Just -- temporarily," interjects Ballister. He forces a smile when Nimona glances over, but the downtrodden look in his eyes, like he's been dragged to a party he never wanted to attend in the first place, gets worse. "Nimona called me here for a visit, so I could see what she's been up to since, er..."

He winces, waving a hand in lieu of finishing the sentence.

"Since we overthrew the Institute and got your name cleared?" says Nimona, slyly, and makes like she's about to elbow Ballister in the ribs before remembering he's just an apparition.

"Well, yes, but..."

"I suppose," says Ballister, still sounding rather unconvinced. "Unless you scare them so badly they drop dead -- "

"Ugh, boss, come on," interrupts Nimona. She's laughing a little. "If anybody dies here they pop back to life in a day, anyway, it's no big deal."

Ballister's silent for a moment, at that. "Right," he says eventually.

Nimona's stomach drops at his tone. For a split second, she wants to backtrack -- apologize, even -- and tell him that no, she gets it now, it is a big deal, she died four times on that stupid cursed cruise and hated it every time, but it's also not like...

She doesn't know what to say. So instead, with forced brightness, she says to Valdis, "So hey, what brings you out here? Any good hunting? Just taking a stroll?"

Valdis tips her head, still curious about Ballister and his lack of true connection. She's certain that Nimona is aware, she's never seen her feel so defeated as she does in her interaction with her friend. Yet, there are all sorts here, perhaps that is simply how Ballister is.

It's nice to be able to stretch my legs. We never could on...where we were. But we can here, so I'm spending as much time as I can out in nature. I missed it.

She steps forward to nudge Nimona gently.

What about you?

Ballister can't hug her, can't even tap her on the arm or hold something she hands him -- but her other friends can. Nimona swallows and lifts a hand to the side of Valdis's muzzle, giving it a small, grateful scritch.

"I'm just showing Ballister around," she says. "There's a ton of stuff we gotta catch up on. I haven't seen him in like eight months. You got any ideas where I should take him next?"

Behind her, the spectral Ballister grimaces, clearly not happy that Valdis might suggest their next destination.

Elsie's look of discomfort grows when Ballister interjects. No one gets called here to visit. No one but those demons. It doesn't fit. It isn't right. He knows it; she can see it in his eyes. But Nimona...

"How long will you stay?"

"I don't know," says Ballister, and looks away.

Nimona's smile slips. "Boss?" she asks, quiet and a little worried.

Ballister doesn't answer. Nimona keeps watching him. It's like the sorrow engulfing Ballister has become a physical fog, stretching out to wrap her in its cold, too. In that instant, she can't brush it off as easily as usual.

"Nimona?" For once, the smile is gone from the wild woman's face. "How did he get here?"

Don't tell her, a thought whispers in the back of her mind, coiling like smoke. She'll take him away if she knows.

"What's it matter?" she says, faintly truculent. "There's all kinds of magic stuff around here, I found something that lets him come visit sometimes, big deal. Elsie, c'mon, we haven't seen each other in months."

"It's hurting you," Elsie says with a sad shake of her head. "Sometimes magic is the wrong thing."

Valdis closes her eyes as Nimona scratches her, appreciating the affection.

There's a meadow down the road from Cesar's farm. It's full of wildflowers right now and a lovely place to watch the clouds.

"It's not hurting me -- "

Her voice rises, caught between indignation and a scoff. "Look, I'm not stupid, I know all the 'magic comes with a price' and blah blah blah stuff, it's not doing anything like that -- "

And if it was, she almost says, it'd be worth it. Whatever pangs she might feel when she can't cheer up Ballister, it's nothing compared to the loneliness of never seeing him again.

"Yeah?" She brightens a little, glancing over her shoulder to Ballister. "Boss, whaddya think?"

Ballister blinks, clearly not expecting such a downright normal suggestion. Tentative, he says, "That does sound lovely."

Even that tiny scrap of approval is enough to get Nimona beaming outright. "Nerd," she says, affectionate. "'Course you'd be into flowers way more than a graveyard."

But when it's the closest she's seen Ballister to happy since she opened the locket -- yeah, she's not gonna object. She gives Valdis another scratch, this time behind the ears. "Thanks, Valdis."

"The price is being stuck," Elsie insists. "You're stuck hurting."

But even someone with as little social awareness as Elsie can see she isn't getting her point across the way she wants to. Maybe she should start over. Try something different.

"My mother is dead. I miss her. But life keeps going."

She huffs softly, still appreciating the attention.

Just be back in town before the stars come out, those creatures also like that meadow.

There's a teasing glint in her eyes as she steps back and winks at Nimona.

Have fun.

"He's not dead -- "

"Nimona," says Ballister, too quietly to be heard.

" -- he's right here!" Nimona's eyes ignite, throwing twin spots of pink light onto the front of Elsie's clothes. "Why can't you be cool about this?! You know how much Ballister and I have wanted to see each other? Just because you can't see your mom anymore doesn't mean you have to ruin it for me!"

Elsie jolts in place and quickly lets her gaze sink to the ground, her shoulders slumping forward with the motion.

"Not trying to ruin it... Trying to help."

"Whatever," she snarls, scornful. The glow winks out. "Then maybe don't suck so much at helping next time."

She turns on her heel and storms off.

Ballister hesitates. He looks after Nimona, then back to Elsie. Something flickers in his spectral face: not the helplessness of someone who just watched their friend behave abominably, nor the awkwardness of a bystander caught in the middle of a fight. Something darker.

And if it looks for a second like he's about to apologize --

He doesn't, and just follows after Nimona.

Elsie gasps, and her mouth hangs open even after the sound escapes. Nothing else comes out. She reaches with one hand, eyes fixed on Ballister and that terrible expression he wears, but still she cannot seem to find her voice.

Finally, with one last wretched look of anguish, she dissolves into the shadow beneath her feet, as if sinking into the ground. She won't be seen for days after, even if she's called by name.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

how long, baby, have I been away? [open]

no subject

no subject

Forest

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[cw: parental death]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject